navydavesof wrote:
Perhaps it can be an FFG doing FFG things. Ie ASW as its big mission area. No area AAW, only self defense. No strike. No NSFS. Yes ASuW with 8-16 Harpoons is easy enough. Yes ISR with good sensors and UAVs such as ScanEagle and Shadow. This is not hard.
Also what I would illustrate is that something as small as a Gearing FRAM II-class DD could perform this ASW mission without problem. I would suggest an FF hull could be used for 2 different mission sets. One would be an American version of the PRC Jiangkia-class FFG. At 440' and 32-cell VLS with ASCMs and a helo hangar, it could work out pretty well.
navydavesof wrote:
Perhaps it can be an FFG doing FFG things. Ie ASW as its big mission area. No area AAW, only self defense. No strike. No NSFS. Yes ASuW with 8-16 Harpoons is easy enough. Yes ISR with good sensors and UAVs such as ScanEagle and Shadow. This is not hard.
Also what I would illustrate is that something as small as a Gearing FRAM II-class DD could perform this ASW mission without problem. I would suggest an FF hull could be used for 2 different mission sets. One would be an American version of the PRC Jiangkia-class FFG. At 440' and 32-cell VLS with ASCMs and a helo hangar, it could work out pretty well.
Using the same hull, an AAW version could use the same forward fit but would be a modern version of the Leahy-class CG. In place of the helo hangar would be an aft structure for radar and illuminators and a 64-cell Mk41 VLS. Perhaps there is room for a 76mm gun aft. We will see.
On the note of the Leahy/Belknap, there could have been replacement of the Mk10 launchers with Mk71 8" guns and 32 and 64-cell Mk41 launchers.
Only if the USN was serious about NGFS and NSFS, we could have had a good force of 8" gun ships with TLAM, ASCM, and SAM capability directed by the Terrier NTU system. Instead...we sunk them.
Anyway...yeah, we can do this pretty easy. It suggests to be a pretty good model!